Most Difficult Total War?

[Canis Lupus]

I'm at a complete loss, I have no idea what is happening.

I've been playing total war since shogun 1. I've played shogun 1 and 2, medieval 1 and 2, Rome 1 and 2, Napoleon, Empire, Warhammer 1, 2 and 3, Attila, Three Kingdoms, and that one that was set in Britain, I forget the name. I have never in my 20 years of playing total war had an experience like this.

I've played campaigns on legendary and won plenty of times, I've won more campaigns across those games than I can count. But playing this game, I have no idea why but I can't get a single win.

I was just playing a Seti campaign. It was going really well, I'd conquered about three provinces, down the coast to Waset. I had a good economy going and was building up my second stack. Then on turn 28 suddenly most of lower Egypt declared war on me. Seti's wife, the guy in Kush, Waset, and the faction just above Seti's wife all declared war on the same turn. Suddenly I had (and I counted) more than 100 units of medium-high rank troops in my territory all at war with me. That same turn they attacked my smaller stack (they declared war and attacked on the same turn) leaving me to face 100+ units with only one 20 stack. And those were just the troops I could see, the 100+ were just the ones in my territory! They were roaming around in groups of 3-4 stacks, about 40 troops in total each.

This is pretty much how all my campaigns have gone. For example, I played one as the guy in Mesopotamia (not babylon, the other one) and I had every faction around my declaring war on me just about all at once. I had five factions around my territory declare war on me within about two turns. I mean, I had good troops and I was fighting a lot of them off, but each faction could infinitely churn out 3-4 stacks at any one point, and I was at war with five factions...

I'm not breaking diplomatic agreements, I'm trading with factions to build relations, I'm signing non aggression pacts (which they often break and declare war on me the same turn we sign them). I'm only playing on normal difficulty.

I'm writing this because I'm genuinely miserable. Total war is one of my favourite series, I love these games and I love playing them, but I'm having an awful time playing this one, and it's making me really sad.

I don't see anyone else online having this experience, I don't understand why playing this game is like this for me, I feel like I must be doing something wrong but I have no idea what. I know I'm not bad at strategy, and I feel like I know the mechanics of total war really well.

I meaning I was playing Seti, they're listed as easy and I was playing on normal difficulty...

Is there a faction I should play as that's less brutal? Is there anything I can change in the game to make it a little more bearable? I don't have very much money and I can't afford another game for quite a while, I really want to be able to like this game.

[Klutch]

Legendary is brutal.

[NoSoyLeón]

Your diplomacy seems good, constant long trades help. Seti is on the nile though, yes? Also, Assyria or whatever the hell the other guy you played - he's on a river, surrounded by enemies?

Here's the thing, difficulty is more about map placement than the stated difficulty. That's an old design flaw. The factions you picked are going to tend to have more craziness, and in this game, it spirals.

But with good diplomacy, as you have, I'd recommend assessing your defenses. Do all of your provinces have forts? Do you have fortifications build in your cities? Are you utilizing look out posts for free garrison? Enemies look for weaknesses and not having defensive infrastructure will make factions pounce on you. At least until you reach an edge of a map - even then, you have to deal with sporadic raiders.

So reassess your defense. If you have around 20 troops per settlement, more in contested areas, the likelihood of doom stacks showing up goes down, and your ability to respond if they do goes up.

Further, I'd recommend just playing with campaign settings to remove enemy advantage if it keeps beating you down. You can consider it a leveling of the playing field, or you can consider it giving yourself the space to master the game before playing with campaign settings turned off or even up in difficulty.

[NoSoyLeón]

This was a well documented problem for awhile, but has gone away after the initial release to some extent as people trouble-shoot and get advice.

To Sun up my last post, build forts, build lookout posts, consider transitioning to a defensive game in the times you expect trouble. Ar 40 turns almost 1/3 of factions will be destroyed, it's a race to survival until about turn 80 when things will (often) be more stable.

[NoSoyLeón]

Originally posted by Canis Lupus:

. I was just playing a Seti campaign. It was going really well, I'd conquered about three provinces, down the coast to Waset. I had a good economy going and was building up my second stack.

This, specifically is where I'd identify your problem. Second stack is a huge economy drain. Fortresses are 50% upkeep. And you had a large area to defend. 3 provinces is roughly 9 cities, 5 soldiers per fortress would be 45 soldiers, but would cost you half of the price of 2 full stacks. Or 3-5 troops every fort, a stack of 10-12 who can move between provinces for defense utilizing well placed look-out posts. There are many solutions, but this is early in the game to be planning to steamroll before you've gotten very comfortable

Edit: to clarify, I might try instead to come to peace after securing a second province until it's very well developed. Each settlement teir is a significant defensive advantage, with more upkeep free & low-admin burden troops. And fortresses with the best of my teir 1-2 troops mostly, and maybe some teir 3's. If someone still tries to invade, I'd rally my forces and try to bate ambushes around my outlook posts or with a second "bait" general. You can "farm" invading armies with this method, and while it's a form of cheese...well, my man, think like a 12th century warlord!!

[NoSoyLeón]

Originally posted by Canis Lupus:

Is there a faction I should play as that's less brutal? Is there anything I can change in the game to make it a little more bearable?.

My opinion, Alishaya was great. Once I seized the Island, I could expand wherever I wanted, and the canaanite native troops are great all purpose troops. I loved conquering Ugarit, consolidating upper Canaan, and then taking the hittite throne.

The Assyrian main faction was tough. Babylon also requires you to play differently at first, not necessarily concluding your initial war like usual, instead I found it more useful to take a single city, sue for peace after killing higher small stacks, then consolidating south around Uruk before returning, later to the war. With that in mind, Babylon is pretty overpower with Hammurabi laws if you know how to finesse the opening challenge. After a couple of times playing very diplomatically, my third and best playthrough I was confident enough to smash the starting enemy and then consolidate around Uruk, but it involved luck as well as considerable experience

This makes me want to start up a new campaign just thinking about it. I hope you stick through the initial learning curve, because it's pretty fun once you get a campaign rolling

[NoSoyLeón]

Finally, never forget you can offer yourself as a vassal to a much stronger faction. Insta end to all wars. Your balance of power goes up in the diplo screen. And you can still declare war, with your ruler faction compelled to join in. You don't lose. It's just smart if nothing else

Once you get past the troublesome spot, you'll see how much potential there is in province specialization. While for now I'd recommend you stick to a settlement fortification, a workforce/upkeep reduction building/a resource building as your basic settlement outline, this is just specific to your set of problems and also leaves room for alteration as your needs or wants see fit.

For outposts, I'd think of a fortress, a outlook post (many disagree) and then whatever will contribute most to your needs in the third slot. Temples with useful gods are always a good one, warrior outposts can generate very powerful (and economy destroying) units that could potentially make those massive invasions less of a pain.

[Kendji]

Originally posted by Canis Lupus:

op

Awnser: Lik a s**t load of butt, don't be afraid to become a vassal or other such. Trading, is a good deterence, since AI you trade with is less likely to attack etc.
Much as NoSoyLeon explains. :)

Originally posted by Klutch:

Legendary is brutal.

It's meh difficulty, reeeaaallly hard in early game, then cake walk, if you survive first 50 turn you won already. There's harder than legendary. ;)

[azaris]

Seti is the scion to an elderly Pharaoh so he gets almost instantly embroiled in a civil war and then everyone declares on you. There are ways to prevent it by farming Legitimacy from trades, but it's pretty costly. I would not play Seti unless you are very familiar with the game mechanics.

Hanigalbat is also a hard start because Assyria will fall apart quickly and get invaded from all sides. Plus the twin rivers form a highway for stacks to run all over Mesopotamia.

Try Agamemnon or Irsu to start with. Trade with everyone you're not planning to invade. If you do get dogpiled, vassalise yourself to someone more powerful.

[Lexter]

I had trouble with egypt factions myself.
Argamemnon war a nice campaigne for me, then Babylon.
Now I managed to survive with Tausret, but it wasn't easy for me (all normal difficulty).
Don't give up hope, you will have fun with the game.

[oOIYvYIOo]

AI does not cheats you do. He does not rationalize and or have morality or feelings. He is programmed to win.

I win my campaigns on Leg/default customs/Iron man/no flags+range+markers etc. With any faction whether major or minor, plus, I always go to Ultimate Victories and achievments.
Just learn to be humble and accept that you are not good enough for the game at this moment, and, practise. TW was and is not a game for common mortals.

If I can reach this level so can anyone else. Just practice and practice and practice.